One of the nation’s oldest science museums shut its doors for good this weekend, ending nearly 200 years of public access on Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Story Snapshot
- The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University closed its public museum on September 27, 2026, after 198 years.
- Leadership blamed falling attendance and rising costs, saying the current building strained resources needed for research and collections.
- Nearly 56,000 people signed a petition opposing the closure, and hundreds turned out for repeated street rallies.
- Philadelphia City Council members introduced legislation and demanded hearings, but the closure moved forward on schedule.
- The Academy says its research and collections mission will continue even though the public museum is gone.
Nearly Two Centuries End With A Locked Door
The Academy of Natural Sciences opened to the public in 1828, making it one of the oldest natural history museums in the country. Drexel University and Academy leaders announced on September 1, 2026, that the museum would close permanently, with September 27 marked as the last day the public could walk through its halls of fossils, dioramas, and the famous T. Rex skeleton.
President Antonio Merlo and Board Chair Suzanne Biemiller signed a joint statement calling it a “difficult decision.” They said keeping the museum open in its current form would put growing pressure on the money needed to protect the collections and keep research going. The statement said leadership looked at other options before choosing to close.
Money Problems Didn’t Start Overnight
This closure did not come out of nowhere. The Academy merged with Drexel back in 2011 because of financial trouble, and last fall it had already cut public hours down to weekends only, pointing to federal funding cuts and fewer visitors since the pandemic. Leadership said visitor habits changed in lasting ways while operating costs kept climbing, creating what they called a broken economic model.
The Academy is not alone. A 2025 survey by the American Alliance of Museums found 55% of museums still had fewer visitors than in 2019, with typical attendance stuck at 81% of pre-pandemic levels. That pattern helps explain why university-linked museums, which often depend on a mix of school subsidies, donations, and ticket sales, can slide into crisis fast when even one funding stream weakens.
Public Pushback Grew Louder Each Week
Word of the closing sparked immediate backlash. Hundreds gathered outside the museum in September chanting for Drexel to find another way, with one speaker calling the mood “like a funeral.” The grassroots Save the Academy campaign collected close to 56,000 petition signatures asking Drexel to keep the museum open and work with the community on a sustainable plan.
City leaders joined the fight too. Philadelphia council members Nina Ahmad and Jeffrey Young Jr. pushed for a special hearing and introduced legislation aimed at pressuring the university to reconsider. The William Penn Foundation even offered funding to help keep the museum running, showing that outside money was on the table as the clock ran out.
Sunday is your last sure chance to visit the Academy of Natural Sciences museum
Its planned closure has sparked public outcry and a movement to keep it open. Here's what to expect if visiting the museum.https://t.co/qA4U3JV6Z6— Lawrence A Feinberg (@lfeinberg) September 25, 2026
Despite the rallies, the petition, and the council hearings, Drexel did not reverse course. The museum’s last public day arrived as scheduled, and supporters who spent weeks organizing arts and crafts events and sign-waving demonstrations outside the building were left watching the doors close anyway.
What Wasn’t Made Public
Drexel has not released detailed budget figures, audited losses, or a specific list of the alternatives it says it considered before deciding to close. There is also no public engineering or conservation report explaining why the Parkway building itself could not keep operating in some reduced form. That gap in disclosure has fueled skepticism from critics who question whether closure was truly the only option, even as university officials say the decision protects the Academy’s long-term research mission.
A Familiar Story For Cultural Institutions Nationwide
The Academy’s closure echoes a wider squeeze hitting university and civic museums across the country, from art collections in New Hampshire to natural history sites elsewhere, where enrollment drops and post-pandemic attendance slumps have forced painful budget choices. For many Americans already frustrated with institutions that seem to answer to funders and boards rather than the public, watching a beloved 200-year-old landmark disappear despite tens of thousands of signatures raises a familiar question: who really gets a say when the money runs out?
Sources:
youtube.com, nbcphiladelphia.com, inquirer.com, save-the-academy.org, nytimes.com, newyorkalmanack.com
